Improvement in railroad-switches



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

REUBEN LEZOTT, OF PLATTSBURG, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-SWITCHES.

Specification formingvpart of Letters Patent No. 44,537, dated October 4, 1864.

To wl whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, REUBEN LEzoTr, of Plattsburg, Clinton county, and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Switches; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and eX- act description or" the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specilication.

The nature of my invention consists in the y shape and construction of movable and adjustable heads to fit the rails and operate as an economical and adjustable switch for sidings of railway-tracks.

Figure l represents the movable heads. Fig. 2 shows the mode of attaching the heads to the rails; Fig. 3,a switch formed of a series of heads attached to a siding.

A represents the common T rail of railways,

with its iiange B on each side forming the base. C represents the iron horizontal connecting rod as commonly attachedto railwayswitches. I make notches upon the upper side of this rod.

E areiron heads that are movable. They are made rounding, with a projecting liange, G, at top to tit upon the top side of the iiange B of the rail. These heads forni jaws that clasp the rails on each side. They also have a hole through their center, through which the rod C is passed, and a hole through their sides, in which pins or bolts H are driven, the bolts fitting into the notches D, so as to permanently fasten` the heads E to the rod C and be firmly attached to the rail. The object and advantage are, that in case ot' a head,E,break ing (as often happens) a new one is immediately attached to the rod, thus saving much labor, time, and expense inreplacinga head; also, the width of the track can be more easily altered to any required distance by adjusting the heads and making the width of the switch to suit the track or siding.

What I claim as my invention,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The movable heads as attached to the horizontal rod, as herein described, and for the purposes set forth.

REUBEN LEZO'IT.

NVituesses:

J. FRANKLIN REIGART, L. LUcHs. 

